The City of North Vancouver is the latest municipality to ban anticoagulant rodenticides on city-owned property and is asking everyone else to do the same.
Council voted unanimously Sept. 14 to formally end the use of rat poison at its own facilities.
Anticoagulants cause rodents to slowly bleed out and die. But, any predator that eats poisoned prey will become sick itself – most often owls or other raptors.
“It's a classic example of where we're not conscious of our own actions as human beings, and the impacts we can have on an ecosystem,” said Coun. Tony Valente, who introduced the motion along with Coun. Jessica McIlroy.
The city had already started phasing out the poisons and updated their website to encourage residents and business owners to use more responsible alternatives. But cities don’t have the power to ban the sale of products that are otherwise legal to sell in the province.
Getting the provincial government to finish the job is the ultimate goal, McIlroy said.
“We do use our voice to join in other local governments who are doing the same and campaigns that are being put together through organizations such as the SPCA and other wildlife organizations asking the province to actually implement a full ban on these rodenticides,” McIlroy said.
Mayor Linda Buchanan said she was pleased to support the motion but asked staff to come back with a report outlining the city’s overall strategy for pest control.
North Vancouver resident Yasmin Abidi has been campaigning for an outright ban on the poisons since she had a hand in saving a young barred owl that had been twice poisoned in the Mackay Creek area. An online petition she started is just shy of 11,000 signatures.
The District of North Vancouver was first to institute a ban in June. Other cities in B.C. have since followed. District of West Vancouver council is set debate a similar ban on Sept. 28.
